Dream of Us
Chapter Forty-Four

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Dyani’s POV.

“I found something that you might be interested in,” Chogan states, his expression serious.

“Go on,” Denali presses.

“I’ve found an Elder, and not just any Elder, this one has been around for nearly 500 years.”

Elders start off as mages, once they reach one hundred, they are classed as Elders. They’re powerful magical beings that live their lives closely alongside celestials if they can replace them. Many are enslaved and forced to conduct magic by rich or influential people, like Inteus. Most mages don’t live beyond two hundred, as using their magic takes a toll on their body in a way that doesn’t affect celestials. For an Elder to life five hundred years is impressive, they must have avoided magic most of their life.

“Where did you replace them?” I ask curiously.

“She was living out in the woods. Some of my scouts found her while searching for hunters. She has lived a reclusive life, allowing her to survive this long without having others harness her powers.”

“And you think she can help us,” Calian deciphers.

“I think she could offer you some advice on your bond. I didn’t get to speak to her, but the scouts said she recognised your names when they mentioned them. With a bond as strong as yours, it’s not surprising that she has heard of you, even living alone like she is.”

“That could be really useful, I’d like to meet her,” I reply before my mates can, openly expressing my interest.

“Great. Shall I arrange a meeting?”

“Please do,” Nuka says.

“We can meet her wherever she feels most comfortable. In the woods, if that’s what she wants.”

Chogan nods at Calian’s statement. “She’ll be grateful of that, I’m sure of it. I’ll arrange a meeting.”

On the way back to our house, I discuss with my mates what it will be like meeting the Elders. With my memories back, I can remember meeting one when I was younger.

“There used to be an Elder near our village, I remember him.”

“Yes, his name was Oluster,” Denali informs me.

“He was kidnapped by a greedy lord when we were at school,” Calian recalls.

“I never heard anything about him after that. He was close with our parents, wasn’t he?” Nuka enquires.

“Yeah, they were consulting with him, they hoped he could shed some light on us being celestials, our parents were worried how it might affect us,” Calian answers.

“Oluster was there when we first discovered our bond, I remember him warning me about the consequences of such power,” I tell them.

“He was worried that we could become dangerous if we lost control,” Nuka says, frowning.

“We won’t lose control. We have each other now, that won’t happen,” Calian says with finality.

“Cal is right, our bond is too strong. Perhaps there was a risk of that when we were separated, but now that we have marked you, the bond is solidified, nothing can break it.”

Nuka squeezes my hand. “Not even our deaths.”

He’s right. Long after we’ve gone, our bond will remain, shining up in the skies amongst the stars.

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The meeting with the Elder is arranged. We stand at the edge of the forest, in between the gnarled trees, waiting for Yuri to make an appearance. She comes shuffling out of the shadows, an unassuming presence with her over-sized blue shawl. Her features are aged, her eyes heavy with the weight of the world, her hair the purest white. She looks ancient, and yet the fires of the galaxy burn in her eyes, a sign of her great power, untouched by greed.

“Celestials,” she greets us with a strong but scratchy voice.

Denali steps forward first, bowing in respect. “Elder Yuri, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“You needn’t bow, Denali, you are much more powerful than I,” she replies coyly, amusement flashing in her eyes.

“It is a sign of respect, ma’am.”

“I appreciate it.” Her eyes turn on the rest of us. “I see you have completed your bond. I thought I felt the ground shake that day.”

My face heats up on instinct. It’s one thing to be intimate with your mates, it’s another for the world to know about it. Thank Goddess that doesn’t happen every time, it was only when they marked me, and my memories returned.

“I am glad it is solidified; we are all safer for it. Nothing can break your bond now, it is stable.”

“That’s the reassurance we wanted,” I tell her when it falls silent. “I was concerned that our power might be too much for us to handle.”

She waves her hand at me, brushing my concerns away.

“Your worries are understandable but unnecessary, Dyani Decoteau. Your bond is stable, nothing can break it. Your bond with your mates is the basis of your power, if the bond is stable, your power is stable.”

“So, we won’t lose control?”

“No, you will not. Your mates will ground you, as you will with them. Lean on each other, rely on each other and nothing shall go wrong.”

I feel the tension leave my body and the bodies of my mates next to me. She has just silenced all our fears.

“Is there any advice you would give us, Elder?” Nuka asks poignantly.

She appraises him with approval.

“You are a wise one, despite being younger than your brothers,” she observes. “I believe you lot know more than others than the pain of being separated can be excruciating. Savour the time you have with each other; cherish the memories you make. That is my advice, live freely and love strongly. Enjoy your long lives together.”

My heart warms at her words. I look around at my mates and know that I am going to be extraordinarily happy with them for the rest of our lives, and far beyond that.

“Thank you for your wisdom, Yuri,” Calian says, bowing.

Nuka and I follow his lead, bowing to. She gives us a small bow back, her eyes twinkling.

“I don’t say this to just anyone, so appreciate the gravity of these words,” she starts, piquing my curiosity. “Don’t be strangers, you four are welcome at my home anytime.”

We appreciate what an honour it is for the recluse to invite us to her sanctuary. We thank her and wait for her to go on her way before we slowly go home, quietly masticating over what we have learned.

We’re all still in a state of contemplative thought when we arrive home. I set about making drinks for everyone and we gather in the living room to re-group.

“I was thinking of inviting my foster parents to visit this weekend,” I tell them, breaking the silence.

“That’s a nice idea,” Denali says.

I’ve been in contact with my foster mum a lot. I was scared about how she would take the news of me dating three guys, but it actually only took her a few days to get her head around it. Obviously she was shocked at first, polyamorous relationships are still not considered the ‘norm’ to most people. Thankfully though, she has had people from all walks of life come through her home, making her an incredibly accepting and understanding woman. My foster father didn’t play a very active role in my life growing up, although he was always kind to me. I know he’ll go along with whatever my foster mum says.

“Why don’t we have Chogan and Sian around too, soon?” Calian suggests.

“Yeah, we’ve finally got the house how we want it, we should start having people round,” Nuka agrees.

“Great, I’ll message them,” I reply and sip my tea.

I look around the room at my mates. Denali is stretched across an entire sofa to himself. His cornrows are back in. I think his green eyes stand out more when his afro is braided back like that. Calian has had a couple piercings put into his ears. I have a memory of him saying he wanted piercings when he was a teenager, he’s only had to wait a decade to get them. Then there’s Nuka, my baby of the group who isn’t such a baby with all his neatly-trimmed facial hair. His eyes are a mix of chocolate and caramel, making me want to eat Rolos each time I see them.

They have such different personalities, despite us having so much in common and being so close. Denali always defaults to being leader. He takes on the responsibility, wears his sensible hat and tries to think of what will be best for the group. Calian is the mediator between Denali and Nuka. He’s very good at taking a step back and viewing the big picture, instead of acting impulsively. Nuka wears his heart on his sleeve. Every feeling he has, he feels deeply and is passionate about, making him both incredibly loving but also impulsive. The three of them are everything that I need.

Having my memories back is a blessing. I spend my free time running through them, replaying them in my mind and becoming reacquainted with our former selves that I had forgotten for so long. For example, my name Dyani means deer. Denali Enger means ‘Great One’. Calian Montoya means ‘Warrior of Life’ and Nuka Kee means ‘Younger Brother’.

It isn’t a coincidence that our parents named us the way they did. Fate dictated that those are the names we would have and the roles we would take on because of them. Our lives were literally created for each other. It blows my mind that the stars aligned for us to be together in this room in this very instant. Knowing that fate, the stars, the galaxy, the universe, everything, is behind us and on our side is an incredible feeling. No matter what, I know we’re going to be okay.

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